Credibility on the page
Proposals, reports, white papers, thought leadership, and client-facing copy: every sentence is a first impression.
Editing for businesses and academics
Your ideas, nearly there publication‑ready.
Refinery Editing turns strong thinking into clear, confident English. Master’s and PhD‑qualified editors refine tone, structure, and clarity while keeping your voice intact, whether your draft began as bullet points, a full manuscript, or an AI‑assisted first pass.
Master’s & PhD-qualified editors
Replies within a few hours
Support 08:00–19:00 CET
Who we work with
Writing that carries weight
Some documents have a job to do: win the contract, satisfy the reviewers, earn the degree. We edit writing that has to perform.
Publication-ready research
Journal articles, theses, grant applications, and book chapters, refined to meet the conventions of your field (and survive Reviewer 2).
Your best work, honestly
Dissertations, theses, and application documents, polished within your institution’s rules on editorial help.
Services
What we do
Every project is handled by a qualified human editor who tailors the work to your audience and your goals. Not sure what your document needs? Send it over; we’ll tell you.
Refining AI‑assisted drafts
$50 / hour
Best for AI-drafted text that isn’t ready to represent you.
- Restoring your voice and your organization’s tone
- Making sure the text stays accurate and authentic, however it was authored
- Removing the patterns that make readers stop trusting a text
- Keeping what the draft gets right
Line editing
$50–60 / hour
Best for solid drafts that need a professional finish.
- Grammar, spelling, and punctuation: the nuts and bolts of good writing
- Proper usage and compliance with your style guide (APA, Chicago, house styles)
- Consistency in language and layout
- Sense-making: clarity, logical flow, and coherence
- References, citations, and internal cross-references
- Proofreading for accuracy and consistency
Only need a final proofread? Same rate; proofreading simply takes fewer hours.
Medical, legal, and technical content is billed at the specialist rate of $60/hour.
Developmental editing
$70–80 / hour
Best for drafts that aren’t working yet, and for work that doesn’t exist yet.
- Outlines for unwritten work
- Restructuring already-written text that isn’t working in its current form
- Rewriting sections
Medical, legal, and technical content is billed at the specialist rate of $80/hour.
Writing coaching
$90 / hour
Best for writers who want to build the draft themselves, with an expert alongside.
- One-on-one, structured support from blank page to finished draft
- Thought leadership, reports, and strategic content
- Theses, dissertations, and other high-stakes nonfiction
Something else?
We also take on formatting, tables of contents, lists of figures, indexes, figure formatting, and bespoke tables and graphs. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll create a custom work plan and quote.
How it works
From enquiry to edited, with ease
1
Tell us about your project
Use the form below or email us. Any state, any stage: messy is fine.
2
Hear back within hours
We reply within a few hours, match you with the right editor, and send a clear quote.
3
We edit, you stay in control
Your editor works in Microsoft Word with tracked changes, so every change is visible and reversible, with margin comments where a call is yours to make.
4
Delivery, plus follow-up
You receive the refined document by the agreed deadline. Questions after delivery are welcome.
What clients say
Their words, unedited
“I’m extremely satisfied … Thank you for the excellent work which is highly appreciated and the very professional service you provide. Sincerely, I have nothing to suggest for further improvement. For me it has been just a great experience. Merci beaucoup!”
Many thanks for your excellent services. Again, I’m very satisfied with your editing work.
Great feedback that went over and beyond the editing request.
On time, world-class service.
What you have done is something amazing. I really appreciate all efforts you have made. Thanks again!
Thank you for thorough feedback with really helpful advice.
This is the first time using your service. Love it! Thank you so much.
Rates
Straightforward hourly rates
No packages, no tiers, no surprises. You pay for an expert’s time, in US dollars.
| Service | What it covers | Rate (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| AI‑draft refinement | Editing AI‑assisted text so it reads as accurate, on‑brand, human writing | $50 / hour |
| Line editing | Grammar, usage, style-guide compliance, consistency, clarity, references, and proofreading | $50 / hour |
| Line editing, specialist | Medical, legal, and technical content | $60 / hour |
| Developmental editing | Outlines, restructuring, and rewriting sections | $70 / hour |
| Developmental editing, specialist | Medical, legal, and technical content | $80 / hour |
| Writing coaching | One-on-one support from blank page to finished draft, for high-stakes nonfiction | $90 / hour |
| Ghostwriting | Researching and writing new content on your behalf | $90 / hour |
| Custom work | Formatting, tables of contents, lists of figures, indexes, bespoke tables and graphs | By quote |
Rates valid January to December 2026. Every project starts with a clear quote; if it doesn’t fit your budget, we can adjust the scope together.
About
Who you’ll work with
Nicci Schmidt
Founder & Lead Editor
Nicci has edited high-stakes writing for more than twenty years: policy reports, legal agreements, journal articles, theses, and book-length monographs across STEM, law, public health, and the social sciences. She holds a master’s degree in editing and publishing, earned with distinction, and has edited for researchers, institutions, and advisory firms worldwide.
She founded Refinery Editing in 2016 to do the work she cares about most: making expert writing clear, precise, and unmistakably its author’s.
Behind every project is a team of master’s and PhD‑qualified editors who combine academic and business expertise with real-world publishing experience: decades of hands-on work refining manuscripts for universities, publishers, and businesses worldwide.
We keep your voice, and we bring accountability and expert human judgment to every detail.
FAQ
Your questions, answered
How fast can you turn my document around?
Tell us your deadline when you get in touch and we’ll confirm what’s possible in our first reply. Enquiries are answered within a few hours during support hours (08:00–19:00 CET).
Will editing change my voice?
No. We refine precision, structure, and tone while preserving what makes the writing yours. The goal is your best work, not our rewrite of it.
My draft started life in ChatGPT. Is that a problem?
Not at all; it’s one of our specialties. We edit AI-assisted text so it stays accurate and authentic and reads as unmistakably human, no matter how it was authored.
Can you lower my AI-detection score?
No, and we don’t take on work with that goal. AI detectors are unreliable in both directions: they flag careful human writing as artificial and pass AI-generated text as human, so no editor can promise you a particular score. What we can do is edit your document so it reads as clear, natural, unmistakably human writing, because a human edited it. If the brief is “get me under a threshold”, we’re not the right service.
Do you run my document through AI or plagiarism checkers?
No. We don’t use detection tools of any kind, and we don’t evaluate your writing against them, so we can’t guarantee any effect on an AI, plagiarism, or similarity score. Our editors judge writing the way your readers will: on the page.
Will my document be completely error-free?
Careful editing dramatically reduces errors; no editor can truthfully guarantee zero. What we do promise: if we miss something material, tell us and we’ll put it right at no charge.
What if I change the document after you return it?
Questions about the edit are always welcome, and reviewing small follow-up changes costs nothing. But our work covers the text we edited: if you revise substantially after delivery, those changes are yours, and a further round of editing is quoted separately. If you’re working to a deadline, make your changes first and send us the final version.
Can I get a “clean” copy with all the changes accepted?
We deliver tracked changes only, on purpose. Reviewing the edits and answering the comments in the margin is part of the editing process; many comments need a decision only the author can make. Accepting everything unread would make the document ours rather than yours.
Do you check my references?
Yes. As standard, we check that your references are consistently formatted to your style guide and that every source exists; hallucinated references are common in AI-assisted drafts, and we catch them. If you’d also like us to confirm that each source supports the argument it’s cited for, that’s developmental editing; ask and we’ll quote it.
Can you cut my word count?
Usually by 5–10% without touching substance. Beyond that, cutting means removing content, so we highlight what could go and you decide what stays.
Will editing guarantee publication, a grade, or a won contract?
No editor can promise acceptance, and you should be wary of one who does. Reviewers, examiners, and clients judge the substance of your work. What we make certain of is that the language never gets in its way, and that your writing represents your thinking at its best.
Do you offer discounts?
Our rates are set fairly and published openly, so we don’t discount them. If a quote doesn’t fit your budget, tell us: we can usually adjust the scope so the price lands where you need it.
Can you provide an editing certificate?
Yes. If your journal, institution, or employer asks for proof of professional editing, we’ll issue an editing certificate for your document on request.
Is my document confidential?
Yes. Your document is shared only with the editor working on it, and we’re happy to sign an NDA for sensitive material.
What file formats do you work with?
Microsoft Word and Google Docs are our home ground; we also handle LaTeX, PowerPoint, and PDF by arrangement.
I’m a student. Can you edit my thesis?
Yes, within your institution’s rules on editorial help. We polish language and clarity; the ideas, argument, and research remain yours.
Do you ghostwrite for students?
Absolutely not. Work you submit for a degree must be your own; the integrity of your qualification depends on it. Ghostwriting is for business and professional contexts, where writing on someone’s behalf is legitimate and expected. If you’re a student, we can edit what you’ve written within your institution’s rules, or coach you as you write it yourself.
Contact
Tell us what you’re working on
Thank you; your enquiry is in our inbox. We’ll reply within a few hours (08:00–19:00 CET).
Whatever the state or stage of your document, we’ll match you with the right editor and tell you honestly what it needs.
We respond within a few hours.
Support hours: 08:00–19:00 CET.